Title: Convection Currents (How does the Inside of the Earth Move?)
Lesson Overview The purpose of this lesson is to use inquiry to further explore how density causes the movement of substances and how density affects the composition of the earth. This inquiry activity leads to a greater understanding of convection currents. Objectives 1. Students will use the inquiry process to identify temperature as a condition that can change density of a substance and affect movement. 2. Students will analyze, summarize and discuss evidence relating to convection currents.
Materials Quiz Oil Water Molasses Conditioner Vinegar Beakers Hot plates Thermometers Ice Mitts (handling hot beaker) Worksheet from astroventure.arc.nasa site below
Links to Resources
Safety Issues Students will be informed of the safety concerns today even though they really apply to tomorrow’s activities, just to emphasize the importance of safety. These safety conditions depend on how students design their experiments.
1. Students need to be very aware of the hot liquid and the heat of the hot plate.
2. Students also need to be informed of the liquid being hot and possibly bubbling out of the beaker. For this reason students will need to keep their hot plate on a medium setting only and NOT on high.
3. Students also need to know if they are not following instructions they will promptly be removed from the lab.
Instruction
Opening Question of the day: How does the inside of the earth move? Students take quiz. Have 10 minutes to complete it. (10 min) Before the experimental design begins there will be a discussion about density. How would you describe density? What would happen if you poured oil and water into a beaker? Do they have different densities? How do you know? Now let’s go way back to physical science last year when you were mere middle school students. Ho are molecules packed in a substance with low density? What affect the movement of molecules? How does density change when you increase temperature? Which layer of the earth has the highest density? the lowest density? (5 min)
Learning Activities The opening brings us to…How does the inside of the earth move? Let’s design an experiment to explore this question. First we need to meet with our fellow scientists. The fellow scientists are the same people you worked with during the sea-floor spreading activity. In their groups students will design their experiment. First they will form a hypothesis. The teacher will remind the student that the hypothesis must be testable, clear and specific. The teacher will remind the students that they must think in terms of data, how they will collect it, how they will measure it and how it will confirm or refute their hypothesis. At this time the teacher’s knowledge of the students is very important. Some groups may require more support from the teacher. It is also important at this time that the teacher focuses on the scientific process not the correctness of the hypothesis. When the students talk with the teacher and have their hypothesis and how they might test it, it is important that the teacher gives only limited information and guides the students. Good questions to ask are: What specific data are you collecting? How are you going to measure your data? After the teacher is checks the plan, they can move on to designing their procedure including what materials they would need. Then they share this information with the teacher. (30 minutes) Closing In closing all of the students go back to their seats, and each group shares their hypothesis and experiment plans with the class. (10 min) Assessment During this point in the experiment the teacher needs to take note of students hat may need extra supervision and assistance during the experiment.
Unit: Plate Tectonics
Title: Convection Currents (How does the Inside of the Earth Move?)
Lesson Overview
The purpose of this lesson is to use inquiry to further explore how density causes the movement of substances and how density affects the composition of the earth. This inquiry activity leads to a greater understanding of convection currents.
Objectives
1. Students will use the inquiry process to identify temperature as a condition that can change density of a substance and affect movement.
2. Students will analyze, summarize and discuss evidence relating to convection currents.
Materials
Quiz
Oil
Water
Molasses
Conditioner
Vinegar
Beakers
Hot plates
Thermometers
Ice
Mitts (handling hot beaker)
Worksheet from astroventure.arc.nasa site below
Links to Resources
Safety Issues
Students will be informed of the safety concerns today even though they really apply to tomorrow’s activities, just to emphasize the importance of safety. These safety conditions depend on how students design their experiments.
Instruction
Opening
Question of the day: How does the inside of the earth move? Students take quiz. Have 10 minutes to complete it.
(10 min)
Before the experimental design begins there will be a discussion about density. How would you describe density? What would happen if you poured oil and water into a beaker? Do they have different densities? How do you know? Now let’s go way back to physical science last year when you were mere middle school students. Ho are molecules packed in a substance with low density? What affect the movement of molecules? How does density change when you increase temperature? Which layer of the earth has the highest density? the lowest density?
(5 min)
Learning Activities
The opening brings us to…How does the inside of the earth move? Let’s design an experiment to explore this question. First we need to meet with our fellow scientists. The fellow scientists are the same people you worked with during the sea-floor spreading activity. In their groups students will design their experiment. First they will form a hypothesis. The teacher will remind the student that the hypothesis must be testable, clear and specific. The teacher will remind the students that they must think in terms of data, how they will collect it, how they will measure it and how it will confirm or refute their hypothesis. At this time the teacher’s knowledge of the students is very important. Some groups may require more support from the teacher. It is also important at this time that the teacher focuses on the scientific process not the correctness of the hypothesis. When the students talk with the teacher and have their hypothesis and how they might test it, it is important that the teacher gives only limited information and guides the students. Good questions to ask are: What specific data are you collecting? How are you going to measure your data? After the teacher is checks the plan, they can move on to designing their procedure including what materials they would need. Then they share this information with the teacher.
(30 minutes)
Closing
In closing all of the students go back to their seats, and each group shares their hypothesis and experiment plans with the class.
(10 min)
Assessment
During this point in the experiment the teacher needs to take note of students hat may need extra supervision and assistance during the experiment.
Homework
No homework
Additional Notes
http://astroventure.arc.nasa.gov/teachers/pdf/AV-Geolesson-4.pdf
Lab modified from this source